Martin back, just in the nick of time

Fresh white tape secure around his ankles and a pair of shower sandals on his feet, Notre Dame senior co-captain Scott Martin ducked into the locker room Thursday after another visit to the trainer.

Ready to cut it loose with the Irish men's basketball team for the first time since suffering a sprained right ankle the first day of fall practice, Martin emerged minutes later wearing a new pair of adidas sneakers.

On Saturday, Martin has even bigger shoes to fill when he returns to the starting lineup after skipping the two exhibition games. His presence is vital with the loss of fellow co-captain Tim Abromaitis, who must sit out the season's

MEN'S BASKETBALL[square]ºWho: Notre Dame (0-0) vs. Mississippi Valley State (0-0).[square]ºWhere: Purcell Pavilion (9,149).[square]ºWhen: Saturday at 2 p.m.[square]ºTickets: Plenty available.[square]ºTV: None. The game can be seen via live streaming video at http://www.und.com[square]ºRadio: WSBT (AM 960).[square]ºOnline: Follow every Notre Dame game with live updates from Tribune beat writer Tom Noie at www/Twitter.com/@tnoie.